Shaping the Future of Construction

An Action Plan to
Accelerate Building
Information Modeling
(BIM) Adoption
In collaboration with The Boston Consulting Group
February 2018

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REF 130218 - case 00041654 V2

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 Contents

Executive summary 4
1. Introduction 5
2. Key insights and recommended actions 7
2.1 Set the right motivation for BIM adoption 7
2.1.1 Articulate BIM’s benefits across the entire lifecycle 7
2.1.2 Think of BIM as a value creator, not as a cost factor 8
2.1.3 Approach BIM as the essential first step to IU digitalization 8
2.2 Enhance collaboration on projects 9
2.2.1 Use integrated contracts and redefine risk-return mechanisms 9
2.2.2 Set up early collaboration and communication among
stakeholders 9
2.2.3 Establish data-sharing standards and open systems 10
2.3 Enable all stakeholders 10
2.3.1 Establish BIM skills along the full value chain 10
2.3.2 Change behaviours and processes, not just technology 11
2.3.3 Make a long-term commitment and support innovative financing 11
3. Conclusion 12
Appendix 13
Roundtable participants 14
Contributors to the Future of Construction Initiative 15

An Action Plan to Accelerate BIM Adoption 3

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 Executive summary

To keep pace with innovation and be more productive, the highlight BIM's potential as a value creator rather than a
infrastructure and urban development (IU) industry must cost factor. In addition to the financial benefits, players must
embrace digitalization. Building information modeling (BIM) understand BIM’s strategic role as an essential first step to
is an important first step towards that. BIM is a collaborative industry digitalization.
process in which all parties involved in a project use
three-dimensional design applications, which can include Successful BIM adoption requires a high level of
additional information about assets’ scheduling, cost, collaboration among stakeholders. Steps toward that
sustainability, operations and maintenance to ensure include increased use of integrated contracts and open
information is shared accurately and consistently standards for data sharing. Adoption also requires a
throughout total assets’ lifecycles. BIM acts as the coordinated effort to attract new talent with digital and BIM
centrepiece of the industry’s digital transformation. It skills, upskill existing workers, and changing corporate
powers new technologies such as prefabrication, cultures to support new processes. As major owners of
automated equipment and mobile applications for team built assets, governments must make a long-term
collaboration. It also enables new services, and helps commitment to the technology by piloting it in public works
determine which new assets best complement existing built projects and creating regulations conducive to its
environments. acceptance, including backing innovative forms of
financing.
BIM adoption has been slow, despite its many advantages.
Only about one-third of IU companies describe themselves
as using at least BIM Level 2.1 Design and engineering firms
have been among the earliest adopters, followed by
construction firms. BIM has great potential to transform
operations and maintenance (O&M), but adoption by asset
operators lags behind other players, largely because the
technology is inaccurately perceived as a purely 3D design
application. Furthermore, commercial BIM applications to
support O&M remain scarce. Other deterrents include a
lack of clear benchmarks to determine return on investment
(ROI), substantial start-up costs, which can deter design
firms and other stakeholders working at the beginning of
projects to use BIM, and limited use of cost- and benefit-
sharing agreements.

To identify actions that could facilitate faster BIM adoption,

the World Economic Forum’s Future of Construction
Initiative – in collaboration with The Boston Consulting
Group, the Government of the United Kingdom, and Atkins
and Arup – hosted the “Accelerating BIM Adoption”
roundtable on 17 October 2017 in London. Among the
participants were 35 representatives from leading global
design, engineering and construction firms, asset
operators, industry associations, governments and
academia who convened to create the action plan outlined
in this report.

Providing players in the IU value chain with the right

motivation and understanding of BIM’s benefits could serve
as a foundation for faster adoption. It would also help

1
BIM Survey 2015 Results, Conject, 2015

4 An Action Plan to Accelerate Building Information Modeling (BIM) Adoption

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 Introduction
The IU industry2 is an integral part of the global economy.
Engineering and construction (E&C) activities (the core part
of the industry) generate approximately $10 trillion in annual
revenue, which equates to about 6% of global GDP. In
recent years, however, the industry has failed to keep up
with productivity gains made in other industries, hampering
national economies’ wider growth. Digitalization has the
potential to change this situation. Connected sensors,
intelligent construction equipment, mobile devices and
Illustration 1: 10 Technologies that Can Improve IU Industry Productivity
Source: World Economic Forum, The Boston Consulting Group
Most of these technologies require accurate, consistent
data from different project stakeholders. BIM systems that
allow stakeholders to produce, collect, store and share
asset information can provide the data. As the successor to
traditional computer-aided design (3D CAD), BIM stores
and provides 3D object data. It also can include shared
information on scheduling (4D), cost (5D), sustainability (6D)
and operations and maintenance (O&M) (7D).
2
Engineering and construction (E&C) represent the core of the infrastructure
and urban development (IU) industry, but it also includes all other parts of the
built environment value chain, from provision of building materials to asset
operation and maintenance (O&M) as well as real estate and urban services.
41654_V2_Accelerating_BIM_Adoption_Action_Plan.indd 5
software applications could boost productivity, manage
complexity, reduce project delays and cost overruns, and
enhance safety and quality. Within 10 years, full-scale
digitalization could help the industry save an estimated 12%
to 20%, equal to $1 trillion to $1.7 trillion annually, according
to The Boston Consulting Group.3
The following graphic shows some of the most promising
digital technologies for improving productivity in the
industry (see Illustration 1).
Modern prefabrication, for example, relies on accurate
information from BIM models to produce 3D objects and
scheduling data that allow for accurate production and
just-in-time delivery of modules from factories to
construction sites. Beyond supporting new technologies,
BIM optimizes and automates asset design, supports
scenario testing and decision-making, verifies
constructability, enables clash analysis, improves project
and investment planning, ensures project control and
stores information for preventive maintenance, among other
functions.
3
The Transformation Power of Building Information Modeling, The Boston
Consulting Group, 2016
An Action Plan to Accelerate Building Information Modeling (BIM) Adoption 5
15.02.18 16:19
 Through these functions, BIM can reduce the design phase
of a construction project by 30% and its design cost by 8%,
according to a University of Maryland study.4 According to
the same study, BIM can cut 10% from a project’s
construction phase and 3% from the construction cost. In
addition, BIM enables new services and can help determine
which new assets best complement existing built
environments.

Many industry players have yet to fully adopt BIM, despite

its advantages. Design and engineering firms lead the way,
followed by construction firms. Even though BIM could
significantly transform O&M, asset operators lag behind
other industry players, mainly because BIM is still
inaccurately perceived as being a purely 3D design
application, and because commercial BIM applications to
support O&M remain scarce. O&M applications account for
just 10 of 206 commercial applications listed in an industry
database of open-source BIM applications.5

Slow adoption rates means few organizations are using the

most sophisticated versions of the technology. In the UK,
for example, BIM is classified by level of maturity. In BIM
Levels 0 and 1, little or no collaboration exists between
parties working on a project; data is presented as 2D or 3D
CAD drawings and information is shared via email or on
paper. At BIM Level 2, stakeholders use 3D CAD, exchange
information in common file formats and share data
electronically through a centralized information
management system called a Common Data Environment
(CDE). At BIM Level 3, also known as BIM in the cloud, all
parties collaborate through digitally shared space.

BIM adoption varies greatly by country and level of

economic development.6 In more advanced economies,
most firms use BIM, though not on all projects and not at
the highest levels. A mandate to use BIM on government-
sponsored projects has made the UK frontrunner. Even so,
only 46% of the country’s IU companies describe
themselves as using BIM Level 2. In Germany, where BIM
use is not yet fully mandated, just 25% of IU companies use
BIM Level 2. In emerging and developing countries,
adoption rates are even lower.7

To improve productivity, the IU industry must accelerate

BIM adoption. Towards that end, governors of the World
Economic Forum’s Future of Construction Initiative have
prioritized BIM adoption as a critical step toward
transforming the industry.

This report summarizes the key insights and recommended

actions that were made at the October 2017 roundtable in
London. It highlights the recommended actions that
companies, industry organizations and governments are
advised to implement to accelerate BIM adoption and
better capitalize on what the technology can offer.

4
Estimating the Impact of BIM Utilization on Building Project Performance,
University of Maryland, 2012
5
BIM application list, buildingSMART, January 2018
6
Scotland Global BIM Study, Scottish Futures Trust and dotBuilt
Environment, July 2016
7
BIM Survey 2015 Results, Conject, 2015

6 An Action Plan to Accelerate Building Information Modeling (BIM) Adoption

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 Key insights and recommended actions

Increasing BIM adoption requires greater collaboration and
that stakeholders be motivated and given the right
capabilities (see Illustration 2). Industry stakeholders must
understand how BIM benefits them, adds value rather than
cost, and is the necessary first step towards industry
digitalization. Adoption requires better teamwork through
using integrated contracts, new forms of collaboration and
open data-sharing standards to bypass the limitations
Nine key insights for successful BIM adoption
Illustration 2: BIM Adoption Circle
posed by proprietary software. It also requires helping
workers develop new skills, and changing behaviours to
support new processes. At the government level, it requires
a long-term commitment and innovative financing to get the
technology into the hands of stakeholders who need it.
Specific steps are further delineated in 27 actions listed in
the Appendix (see Table 1) and described in more detail in
the rest of the report.

1 Motivation Collaboration 2

Approach
BIM as the
essential Use
first step integrated
Think of
to IU contracts and
BIM as a value
digitali- redefine risk-return
creator, not
zation mechanisms
as a cost
factor
Articulate Set up early
BIM's benefits collaboration and
across the entire communication among
lifecycle stakeholders

Make a long- Establish

term commitment data sharing
and support standards
innovative and open
financing Change Establish systems
behaviours BIM skills
and processes, along the
not just full value
technology chain

3 Enablement
Accelerating BIM Adoption_Action Plan_Illustrations_20180115_1630.pptx

2.1 Set the right motivation for
BIM adoption
2.1.1 Articulate BIM’s benefits across the entire
lifecycle
Although BIM can help stakeholders improve quality and
reduce costs throughout a built asset’s lifecycle, it is still
seen primarily as a 3D design application, and commercial
BIM applications to support O&M remain scarce. As a
result, BIM is used mainly in design and engineering, less in
construction and even less so in O&M. That is unfortunate
because O&M stands to gain the most from adopting BIM
given that those functions span the longest period of a built
asset’s life and offer the greatest potential for cost savings
and additional revenue. For example, in the UK, capital
expenditures (CAPEX) for planning, design, engineering
and building assets amount to £89 billion annually while
operational expenditures (OPEX) for O&M run to £122
billion.8
8
Moving from BIM to a Digital Economy in infrastructure and city
programmes, Digital Built Britain, 2017

An Action Plan to Accelerate Building Information Modeling (BIM) Adoption 7

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 To reap BIM’s full potential, asset operators and service
providers should develop and pilot use cases that include
BIM 6D and 7D applications (Action 1). For example,
analysing 6D BIM information on energy use could reveal
ways to curb consumption. Similarly, O&M staff could use
7D BIM data to check the status of components and
schedule preventive maintenance. Architects and engineers
working on a new asset’s design should use BIM data to
optimize design regarding O&M costs (Action 2).
If asset operators and service providers use BIM, it would
create a technology pull that would force stakeholders in
earlier phases of an asset’s lifecycle to use it, just as BIM
models for O&M must be created when an asset is
designed. As major owners and operators of built assets,
governments can play a leading role by using BIM in O&M
for public assets, including using pilot projects to
demonstrate its benefits (Action 3).
Stockholm’s New Karolinska Solna Hospital (NKS) is an
example of a public-private partnership (PPP) using BIM in
O&M. The hospital’s BIM system supports predictive
maintenance by offering instant access to relevant data
about objects such as elevators, including data on location,
installation and use. Repair manuals and information
identifying spare parts and remedial procedures ensure that
maintenance crews respond faster and more efficiently
when equipment fails. A 3D representation of the building
makes cleaning and other daily operations more efficient.
2.1.2 Think of BIM as a value creator, not as a cost
factor
Initial BIM costs can be substantial because of the
investment needed in software, technology infrastructure,
consultants and training. Organizations also incur project-
specific costs for setting up BIM models and changing
workflows and team processes. However, companies
seeking to estimate BIM’s financial benefits often find limited
information. This lack of detailed cost-benefit analysis may
lead some to opt against making the investment.
To combat this problem, companies and industry
associations must create benchmarks against which BIM
costs and benefits can be measured (Action 4). Ideally,
these benchmarks would be published as anonymized data
other industry stakeholders could use. Companies should
also create pilot projects that allocate BIM costs and savings
separately from other financial data to create transparency
(Action 5). Companies can pool their experiences with pilot
projects to develop industry standards for calculating BIM
ROI (Action 6). Governments can publish pilot project-based
BIM ROI assessments to convince other stakeholders of the
technology’s benefits (Action 7).
Comprehensive ROI assessments should consider that
BIM’s value goes beyond reducing project costs. The
technology also reduces risk, enhances product quality and
accelerates delivery. Ultimately, BIM will be a strategic
imperative for the IU industry, similar to the way in which it
has become standard in the oil and gas industry, where
companies recognize using it is necessary to remain
competitive.
8 An Action Plan to Accelerate Building Information Modeling (BIM) Adoption
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2.1.3 Approach BIM as the essential first step to
IU digitalization
Autonomous equipment, wireless monitoring and other
digital technologies need the platform that BIM provides for
stakeholders to store, manage and share information. If the
IU industry is slow to adopt BIM, it could impede adoption
of other digital technologies. Companies must take a
comprehensive approach to digitalization starting with
implementing BIM as a platform to ensure successful and
sustainable adoption of related applications (Action 8).
Research and development (R&D) to improve interfaces
between BIM and other digital technologies would
accelerate the adoption of both.
BIM applications generally model a single asset. BIM is
even more valuable when multiple assets are modelled
together to form a comprehensive digitized built
environment. So-called “digital twins” of entire systems,
such as transport or healthcare systems, could improve
their planning, construction and operation. In particular,
digitized built environments could help determine which
new assets would best complement existing built
environments.
A fully digitized built environment could have an even
greater impact, namely optimizing all services based on the
built environment. In the UK, the cost of providing
Advanced Urban Services (AUS) such as energy, waste and
water management or urban security and safety, equals
approximately £597 billion annually.9
To realize the benefits of digitized built environments,
governments need to coordinate with the industry to
develop BIM standards and specifications so models of
single assets can be incorporated into comprehensive
digitized infrastructure systems and cities (Action 9).
Governments must create central “digital twin” models of
the built environment and use them for simulations to
optimize strategic and financial planning (Action 10).
9
Moving from BIM to a Digital Economy in infrastructure and city
programmes, Digital Built Britain, 2017
15.02.18 16:19
 2.2 Enhance collaboration on
projects
2.2.1 Use integrated contracts and redefine
risk-return mechanisms
BIM costs and benefits are not equally distributed over a
project’s lifecycle. The bulk of the cost of creating BIM
models happens during design and engineering, while
most of the benefits occur in the downstream phases of the
value chain. As a result, stakeholders working on the early
phases of a project may lack the incentive to set up BIM
models. In addition, upstream players often have exclusive
access to project information to cover risks via claims. As
such, they may lack motivation to participate in projects
where BIM models make that information more transparent.
To correct the situation, BIM costs and benefits must be
distributed more equitably. One option for doing that is
using integrated contracts to line up stakeholders’ financial
interests for all project activities and redefine risk-return
mechanisms.
The IU industry commonly uses design bid build (D/B/B)
contracts, in which a project owner maintains separate
contracts with individual stakeholders for design,
engineering and construction, with little coordination
between stakeholders. As a result, projects with D/B/B
contracts are likely to realize only incremental benefits from
adopting BIM.
In integrated contracts, owners enter into a single
agreement for design, engineering, construction and
possibly O&M services, making the success of each
dependent on the others’ contributions. Integrated
contracts increase incentives for using BIM since the
technology benefits the entire project even if those benefits
vary across different project phases. One type of integrated
contract is a design build (DB) contract. In it, a project
owner either enters into a contract with with a single
designer-builder or pursues a joint venture between a
designer and a contractor to provide both services. Another
type of integrated contract is the integrated project delivery
(IPD) contract. In it, a single contract covers an entire
project team, including the architect, general contractor,
engineers, fabricators, subcontractors and asset operators.
In public private partnerships (PPP), in the form of design
build finance maintain operate (DBFMO), the contracting
parties take over the separate tasks associated with the
asset for a set number of years. This provides the
contracting parties with a vested interest in setting up a BIM
model at the beginning to save costs and reduce risks
throughout an asset’s lifecycle.
For any type of integrated contract, stakeholders who bear
the cost of setting up BIM models reap some of the benefits
and consequently have more incentives to adopt it. At the
same time, including BIM allows downstream players to
develop new competences.10 Governments should use their
10
Alignment of Partnering with Construction IT, Delft University of
Technology, 2016
41654_V2_Accelerating_BIM_Adoption_Action_Plan.indd 9
power as the industry’s largest client to increase projects
that use DB, IPD, PPP and other integrated contracts
(Action 11).
Project owners typically take more than BIM into
consideration when choosing the best contract for a
building project. However, increasing the number of
projects with integrated contracts would promote BIM
adoption.
2.2.2 Set up early collaboration and
communication among stakeholders
To ensure BIM models cover a built asset’s lifecycle,
requirements for all phases must be identified when
models are created at the beginning of a project. This
coordination requires collaboration and open
communication between stakeholders. That is not always
easy given the construction industry’s highly disintegrated
value chain, in which players often focus exclusively on the
scope of their own work without considering how it affects
other stakeholders. In large projects, coordinating multiple
stakeholders can be particularly challenging. Without
proper collaboration and communication, BIM models may
lack essential data and functions that stakeholders need to
perform their work. For example, if a built asset is meant to
have sensor-based smart-facility management, a sensor
integration plan should be mapped out and built into the
BIM model in the project’s design phase. Companies must
revise their corporate cultures, organizational structures
and processes to allow for more comprehensive and
efficient collaboration (Action 12).
Formal mechanisms would support stakeholder
collaboration. An example of such a mechanism is the UK
government’s Construction Industry Council (CIC) BIM
Protocol, a standardized supplementary legal agreement
for common construction contracts.11 The protocol
requires deliverables to be created for specific project
stages and outlines stakeholders’ BIM-related obligations,
liabilities and limitations. It also introduces two key project
elements. The first is a model production and delivery
table, which shows who is responsible for preparing the
data and details that BIM models must incorporate at each
project stage. The second element is a call for projects to
include an information manager to implement the BIM
protocol, including keeping the model production and
delivery table updated. Additionally, the information
manager oversees information exchange processes and
procedures, creates and implements a project and asset
information plan, and prepares data drops and other
project output.
By paving the way for better BIM collaboration, the CIC
BIM Protocol could serve as a blueprint for other countries.
As the document is purposely generic, it is expected that
further developments of formal mechanisms to support
stakeholder collaboration include additional detail.
Governments should tailor BIM collaboration procedures
to their own legal environments and use pilot projects to
demonstrate related benefits (Action 13). Ideally,
procedures should be harmonized across jurisdictions.
11
CIC BIM Protocol, UK Construction Industry Council (.pdf download)
An Action Plan to Accelerate Building Information Modeling (BIM) Adoption 9
15.02.18 16:19
 Even without protocols or other formal structures,
stakeholders can still collaborate successfully, as
demonstrated by the project team behind The Edge office
building in Amsterdam. Early stakeholder engagement is
one reason The Edge was hailed as the most connected
and sustainable smart building in the world when it opened
in 2015.12 Among the building’s many innovations are
28,000 embedded sensors, which enable smart facility
management. As a result, cleaners can see which areas are
used the most and require cleaning or where to refill paper
towel dispensers before they run out. The same system
monitors LED lights to predict when bulbs should be
changed. The internet of things (IoT) integration was created
early in the building’s design, and collaboration between
designers, engineers, suppliers and other stakeholders led
to its success. “We integrated the solutions on the silicon
level instead of just gluing technologies together,” said Erik
Ubels, Chief Technology Officer for building developer,
OVG.
2.2.3 Establish data-sharing standards and open
systems
To work as intended, BIM applications need data on
design, costs, schedules, sustainability and O&M. However,
inconsistent conventions for generating data as well as
closed systems, lack of data exchange standards and
concerns about stakeholders’ intellectual property (IP)
create inefficiencies and make processes difficult to repeat
or link. Global conventions for generating and sharing data
along with data marketplaces and clear IP regulations could
overcome these hurdles.
Differing conventions for data generation undermine the
consistency essential for proper BIM applications. For
example, methods used to calculate the area of floor space
in identical buildings varies considerably between countries,
and sometimes within countries, owing to different
measurement conventions. It is necessary that agreement
is found in global conventions, mapping processes and
approaches to generate the consistent data needed for BIM
models. One such global data generation convention is the
International Property Measurement Standard (IPMS).13
Alongside this, IU companies should support work from
institutions like the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
(RICS) to develop global conventions for data generation
and apply them accordingly (Action 14).
Examples outside the IU industry show that data-sharing
standards are an effective way to increase efficiency and
interoperability when they are developed from the bottom
up. One example is the World Wide Web Consortium
(W3C), a group of 430 organizations that develops web
standards. IU companies should support similar bottom-up
consortia to standardize BIM data exchange (Action 15).
One such consortium exists – buildingSMART, which
developed the Industry Foundation Class (IFC), the only
open (non-proprietary) BIM data exchange standard – but
more needs to be done.
12
The Smartest Building in the World, Bloomberg, September 2015
13
International Property Measurement Standards, RICS, January 2018
10 An Action Plan to Accelerate Building Information Modeling (BIM) Adoption
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To improve data sharing, IU companies should also support
emerging data marketplaces (Action 16). Data marketplaces
provide digitized building objects, which designers and
engineers can reuse to improve productivity. Such
marketplaces also offer sensor-generated data from
existing assets, which can be used to optimize the design
of new assets. For data marketplaces to succeed, both
supply- and demand-side stakeholders must use them.
Marketplaces also represent an opportunity for IU
companies to bring in new revenue from trading data or
selling physical products and services connected to the
data. The NBS National BIM Library is an example of such a
data marketplace. Objects sold on it meet internationally-
recognized BIM standards requirements. Manufacturers
promote and deliver products on it directly into digital
processes, enabling planners to choose their products.
To address concerns about potential IP losses that could
undermine BIM adoption, governments should develop
regulations to protect BIM IP and data ownership (Action
17). As an example, the UK’s CIC BIM Protocol clarifies IP
use in BIM models. Within the guidelines of the protocol,
project stakeholders can use BIM model data under a
permitted purpose licence. Stakeholders may use BIM data
only in ways that are consistent with the applicable level of
detail and purpose for which the model was prepared.
Permitted purpose licences further stipulate that the
information provider retains all rights, and if the owner
seeks to acquire IP rights, the contract supplement must be
revised.
2.3 Enable all stakeholders
2.3.1 Establish BIM skills along the full value chain
A lack of employees with sufficient BIM skills both within the
IU industry and among its clients is slowing BIM adoption.
BIM skills are core capabilities in a digitalized construction
industry, and as a result, they cannot be outsourced to third
parties. Organizations have three options for increasing
their BIM talent pool: hiring new talent with the required
skills, upskilling the existing workforce, and simplifying BIM
technology and processes to reduce required skills.
Education must be reformed to provide prospective
employees with necessary BIM skills as well as the
interdisciplinary skills required for BIM collaboration.
Courses should teach students tangible, applicable BIM
knowledge through practical, hands-on training.
Universities, vocational and professional training providers
should integrate BIM into general design and engineering
classes rather than offer courses as electives or add-ons
(Action 18).
Upskilling the existing workforce can be done on the job or
in the classroom. In either case, IU companies and industry
associations should work with professional providers and
academia to develop upskilling courses (Action 19).
Companies should institute a broad set of internal upskilling
programmes (Action 20). Some of those could include
train-the-trainer programmes, job rotations and (reverse)
mentorships.
15.02.18 16:19
 To mitigate the need for education and upskilling, BIM
technology needs to become more user-friendly so it can
be used by a range of workers who lack specialized skills
or devices. BIM software developers could take advantage
of the pervasiveness of mobile devices, tablets and laptops
to create applications that workers without special skills
could use. Software vendors should also develop BIM
software with easy-to-use interfaces (Action 21).
Additionally, project owners lack sufficient workers with
BIM skills. This could result in proposals that do not include
BIM, or if they do, requests for proposals (RFPs) that have
poorly conceived or unrealistic requirements, again
undermining BIM adoption. As the IU industry’s largest
client, government agencies could remedy this by
incorporating BIM skills training in public engineering,
procurement and O&M organizations (Action 22).
2.3.2 Change behaviours and processes, not just
technology
Adopting BIM is often seen as exclusively a technology
investment, but that ignores crucial human and cultural
aspects of the process. Consequently, technical
departments often direct BIM implementation without
considering what behaviour and cultural changes might be
needed. It also means executives often lack sufficient
commitment, project managers and other key actors are
not involved, and processes are not readily adapted.
Adopting BIM without considering the human element will,
however, lead to widespread resistance. If individuals do
not to see how BIM adds value to their jobs or careers, they
could be reluctant to adopt new skills and instead maintain
their existing work habits. Risk-adverse corporate cultures
can exacerbate this resistance. This type of attitude can be
seen in project managers who use concerns about
potential risks as an excuse to avoid implementing new
technology.
To deal with potential resistance, companies should adopt
BIM as part of a comprehensive change management
programme (Action 23). Such a programme should explain
BIM’s value to employees and the potential risks in not
using it. It should include training in required skills (as
described in the section above). As part of a change
management programme, organizations should commit to
creating environments where mistakes and failures are
tolerated while people establish new ways of working.
Furthermore, a comprehensive programme should lead to
revised organizational structures and cultures, key
performance indicators (KPIs) and incentives.
Organizations should use high-profile role models to
highlight BIM’s benefits and promote the programme, and
reward employees who adopt BIM-related practices.
In many organizations, information is perceived as
something to be hoarded instead of shared, but that
behaviour could further impede BIM adoption. A
comprehensive change management programme coupled
with knowledge management practices should encourage
employees to collaborate and share information within and
beyond their own walls.
41654_V2_Accelerating_BIM_Adoption_Action_Plan.indd 11
To make sure adoption is successful, companies might also
assess whether certain internal processes need to be
adjusted before they implement BIM. For example,
companies should streamline a supplier base that is too
large before establishing BIM-based data exchange
processes. Companies adopting BIM should use the
opportunity to streamline processes (Action 24).
2.3.3 Make a long-term commitment and support
innovative financing
As with other digital technologies, BIM relies on the network
effect, i.e. its value increases as its user base grows.
Adoption, however, requires substantial investments. Two
factors increase the probability that a company will earn
back its investment: Assurances that demand for BIM will
last, and lowering the required upfront investment.
To assure companies of future demand, governments and
other large IU industry clients must make a long-term
commitment to include BIM in projects (Action 25).
Commitments should be supported by clear plans that
include BIM targets, and requirements for public
procurement organizations. To ensure BIM adoption is
successful without overburdening companies, BIM
requirements should be phased in over time. Germany was
relatively late introducing BIM mandates, but the country’s
Digital Roadmap for Design and Construction Initiative is an
example of how public projects can include progressively
higher BIM requirements. Launched in 2015, the initiative
requires all new German federal transportation
infrastructure projects to apply BIM by 2020.14 The five-year
phase was stipulated specifically to make adopting BIM
easier for the many small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) in the country’s construction industry.
Innovative business models could also supporter greater
BIM adoption. One potential business model is BIM-as-a-
service, where users pay for the technology on a per-use
basis and upfront technology investments are smaller.
Software vendors should offer BIM-as-a-service, develop
low-budget versions of BIM with fewer features, and create
other innovative business models (Action 26).
Innovative financing could also spur adoption. New
financing models could allow private investors to fund
companies’ BIM investments in exchange for sharing in
future BIM benefits. Governments need to create a
regulatory framework for private investors to fund BIM
projects (Action 27).
14
Road Map for Digital Design and Construction, Federal Ministry of
Transport and Digital Infrastructure Germany, 2015
An Action Plan to Accelerate Building Information Modeling (BIM) Adoption 11
15.02.18 16:19
 Conclusion

The IU industry must adopt BIM to be more productive and

as an important first step toward the digitalization of the
industry, but it will only happen if all players in the value
chain act and collaborate. Actions that stakeholders can
take to promote BIM are summarized in the Action
Implementation Matrix (see Appendix, Table 1). Companies
can act individually, but should team up on industry-wide
efforts through existing associations, new initiatives and
other partnerships. As regulators and the IU industry’s
single largest clients, governments play a significant part in
promoting BIM. They can accelerate adoption by
mandating it in projects, bringing other stakeholders onto
pilot projects, promoting training, and establishing financial
and other incentives.

BIM will only succeed if stakeholders work together

towards a joint vision through a common plan. Doing so will
allow society to enjoy BIM’s many benefits, including more
affordable infrastructure and housing, safer and more
predictable project delivery, a more sustainable and resilient
built environment, and higher-quality service delivery for
end users.

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 Appendix

Table 1: Action Implementation Matrix

Industry
Companies Government
Groups

Articulate BIM’s benefits across the entire lifecycle

A1) Develop and pilot use cases that include BIM 6D and 7D applications X
A2) Leverage BIM data to optimize design regarding O&M costs X
A3) Use BIM in O&M for public assets and demonstrate benefits in pilot projects X

Think of BIM as a value creator, not as a cost factor

Motivation

A4) Develop benchmarks against which BIM costs and benefits can be measured X X
A5) Allocate BIM costs and savings separately from other financial data to increase transparency X
A6) Develop an industry standard for calculating BIM ROI X X
A7) Publish BIM ROI assessments of pilot projects X

Approach BIM as the essential first step to IU digitalization

A8) Implement BIM as platform to store, manage and share data required by new technologies X
A9) Develop BIM standards and specifications for digitized built environments X
A10) Build up digitized built environments and use them for financial planning X

Use integrated contracts and redefine risk-return mechanisms

A11) Increase the share of projects that use integrated contracts X

Set up early collaboration and communication among stakeholders

Collaboration

A12) Revise corporate cultures, structures and processes for more comprehensive collaborations X
A13) Develop BIM collaboration procedures (e.g. CIC BIM Protocol) X

Establish data-sharing standards and open systems

A14) Support developing global conventions for data generation X X
A15) Support bottom-up consortia to standardize BIM data exchange X X
A16) Support emerging data marketplaces X
A17) Develop regulations to protect BIM IP and data ownership X

Establish BIM skills along the full value chain

A18) Integrate BIM into general design and engineering classes X
A19) Create upskilling courses with professional education providers X X
A20) Institute a broad set of upskilling programmes (e.g. job rotation, mentorships etc.) X
A21) Develop simple BIM software that emphasizes usability X
Enablement

A22) Incorporate BIM skills training in public engineering, procurement and O&M organizations X

Change behaviours and processes, not just technology

A23) Adopt BIM as part of a comprehensive change management programme X
A24) Streamline processes before adopting BIM X

Make a long-term commitment and support innovative financing

A25) Make a long-term commitment to include BIM in projects X
A26) Create innovative BIM business and financing models (e.g. BIM-as-a-service, low budget
X
BIM)
A27) Create a regulatory framework for private-investor BIM funding X

An Action Plan to Accelerate Building Information Modeling (BIM) Adoption 13

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 Roundtable participants

A total of 35 individuals from 22 organizations participated Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

in the roundtable “Accelerating BIM Adoption” held in Salini-Impregilo
London on 17 October 2017. SNC-Lavalin
University College London
Organizers
Arup
Atkins
The Boston Consulting Group
The World Economic Forum
United Kingdom Government

Participants
ACCIONA
AECOM
Arcadis
Arendal
Consolidated Contractors Company
Cirrus
Digital Built Britain
DIRTT Environmental Solutions
Imperial College London
Office for Nuclear Regulation
OVG Real Estate
PLP Architecture
Professional Construction Strategies Group

14 An Action Plan to Accelerate Building Information Modeling (BIM) Adoption

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 Contributors to the Future of
Construction Initiative

Project Team Arcelor Mittal

Lakshmi N. Mittal, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,
ArcelorMittal, United Kingdom
World Economic Forum
Patrick Le Pense, Manager of Flat products; Business
Till Zupancic, Project Manager, Future of Construction Development Construction – Infrastructure, Arcelor Mittal,
Michael Bühler, Head, Infrastructure and Urban Luxembourg
Development Industries
Isidora Kosta, Community Lead, Infrastructure and Urban Arup
Development Industries
Gregory Hodkinson, Chairman, Arup Group, United
Hani Dakhil, Community Lead, Infrastructure and Urban
Kingdom
Development Industries
Tim Chapman, Leader - Infrastructure London Group, Arup
Group, United Kingdom
The Boston Consulting Group (Adviser and Knowledge
Partner)
BASF
Santiago Castagnino, Partner and Managing Director; Head
Kurt Bock, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors,
of Engineered Products and Infrastructure, Western Europe
BASF, Germany
and South America
Ulrich Baum, General Manager LUWOGE consult GmbH,
Christoph Rothballer, Principal, Global Infrastructure Expert
Germany

Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC)

Steering Committee, Future of Construction Samer S. Khoury, President, Engineering and Construction,
Initiative Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC), Greece
Amr El-Sersy, Manager Learning & Innovation,
Abertis Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC), Greece
Francisco Reynés, Chief Executive Officer, Abertis
Infraestructuras, Spain Construction Products Holding Company (CPC)
Marc Ribo Pedragosa, Senior Economist, Abertis Mu'taz Sawwaf, Vice-Chairman of the Board and Chair of
Infraestructuras, Spain the Executive Committee, Construction Products Holding
Company (CPC), Saudi Arabia
Acciona Raja Nahas, Assistant, Construction Products Holding
Luis Castilla, Chief Executive Officer, Acciona Company (CPC), Saudi Arabia
Infraestructuras, Spain
Pierre Patrick Buffet, Strategy Officer, Acciona, Spain Danfoss
Kim Fausing, President and Chief Executive Officer,
AECOM Danfoss, Denmark
Michael S. Burke, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Nis Jessen, Vice-President Strategy and Business
AECOM, USA Development, Danfoss, Denmark
Matt Forbes, Chief Operating Officer, Operational
Excellence, AECOM, USA The Durst Organization
Douglas Durst, Chairman, Durst Organization, USA
Aecon
John M. Beck, President and Chief Executive Officer, Fluor
Aecon Group, Canada David T. Seaton, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,
Mathew Kattapuram, Senior Vice President, Strategic Fluor Corporation, USA
Business Development, Aecon Group, Canada Mark Brown, Vice President - Construction & Fabrication,
Fluor Corporation, USA
Arcadis
Peter Oosterveer, Chief Executive Officer, Arcadis, HCC
Netherlands Ajit Gulabchand, Chairman and Managing Director, HCC,
Bianca Nijhof, Global Sustainability Program Manager, India
Arcadis, Netherlands Arjun Dhawan, Group Chief Executive Officer, HCC, India

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 IC Holding Tarkett
Firat Çeçen, Chairman of the Board, IC Holding, Turkey Glen Morrison, Chief Executive Officer, Tarkett, France
Murat Sogancioglu, Chief Executive Officer Investment Gilles Lebret, VP Customer Operations and Group CIO,
Group, IC Holding, Turkey Tarkett, France

Kokusai Kogyo Co Advisory Committee, Future of Construction

Sandra Wu Wen-Hsiu, Chairperson and Chief Executive Initiative
Officer, Kokusai Kogyo, Japan

Link Real Estate Investment Trust Monica A. Altamirano, Specialist, Public-Private

George Kwok Lung Hongchoy, Executive Director and Partnerships and Climate Finance, Deltares, Netherlands
Chief Executive Officer, Link Real Estate Investment Trust, John Atkins, Director Buildings, Arcadis, Germany
Hong Kong SAR
Max HK Wong, Co-Head, Co-Head of Project and Camilo Andrés Benítez Ávila, Department of Construction
Development, Link Real Estate Investment Trust, Hong Management and Engineering, Twente University,
Kong SAR Netherlands
Ron Bakker, Founding Partner, PLP Architecture, United
OVG Real Estate Kingdom
Coen van Oostrom, Chief Executive Officer, OVG Real
Mark Bew, MBE, Chairman, PCSG Limited, United
Estate, Netherlands
Kingdom
Cees J. van der Spek, Director, Sustainability and
Marketing, OVG Real Estate, Netherlands Johnny Clemmons, Global Industry Director and Chief
Engineer, SAP, USA
Perot Group André Dorée, Head, Department of Construction
Henry Ross Perot Jr., Chairman of the Board, Perot Management and Engineering, Twente University,
Companies, USA
Todd Platt, Chief Executive Officer, Hillwood, USA Netherlands
Mahmoud Hesham El Burai, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai
RMZ Corp Real Estate Institute, Dubailand, United Arab Emirates
Manoj Menda, Corporate Chairman, RMZ Corp., India
Jayakumar K, Associate Director Projects, RMZ Corp., India Tarek A. El-Sheikh, Director, UN-Habitat, Kuwait
Thomas Ermacora, Founder, Architect and Curator,
Saudi Aramco LimeWharf, United Kingdom
Amin H. Nasser, President and Chief Executive Officer,
Danielle Grossenbacher, World President (2015-2016),
Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia
FIABCI International Real Estate Federation, USA
Fahad E. Al-Helal, Vice-President Project Management,
Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia Tiago Guerra, UK Chief Business Adviser, JFAN, Portugal
Abdirahman Abdi, Supervisor, Value Practices Unit, Project Carl T. Haas, Professor of Civil and Environmental
Optimization Division (PMOD), Saudi Arabia Engineering and Interim Chair, Canada Research Chair,
University of Waterloo, Canada
Siemens
Joe Kaeser, President and Chief Executive Officer, Lars Hesselgren, Senior Associate, PLP Architecture and
Siemens, Germany Visiting Professor, Chalmers University of Technology,
Roland Busch, Member of the Managing Board and Chief United Kingdom
Technology Officer, Siemens, Germany Arjan Hijdra, Senior Advisor, Network Performance, Ministry
Alexander Stuebler, Head of Executive Office of Dr. Roland of Infrastructure and Environment, Netherlands
Busch, Siemens, Germany
Sherena Hussain, Assistant Professor, Brookfield Centre in
Skanska Real Estate and Infrastructure, Schulich School of
Johan Karlström, President and Chief Executive Officer, Business, Canada
Skanska, Sweden Iván Jiménez, Visiting Researcher, Alexander von Humboldt
Roger Bayliss, Senior Vice-President, Operational German Chancellor Fellow, Germany
Efficiency, Skanska, Sweden
Richard Koss, Director of the Global Housing Watch,
International Monetary Fund (IMF), Washington DC, USA
SNC-Lavalin
Neil Alexander Bruce, President and Chief Executive Alex Lubbock, Head of Digital Construction, Infrastructure
Officer, SNC-Lavalin Group, Canada and Projects Authority, United Kingdom
Ian Leslie Edwards, President, Infrastructure, SNC-Lavalin Jeffry Matsu, Senior Economist, Royal Institution of
Group, Canada Chartered Surveyors (RICS), United Kingdom
David Mosey, Director of the Centre of Construction Law
and Dispute Resolution, King’s College London, United
Kingdom
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 Milagros Mostaza, Managing Director - EMEA, Project
Management Institute (PMI), USA
Ibrahim Odeh, Founding Director, Global Leaders in
Construction Management - Research Group, Department
of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, Columbia
University, USA
Alastair Parvin, Co-Founder, Wikihouse Foundation, United
Kingdom
Oshani Perera, Director, Public Procurement and
Infrastructure Finance, International Institute for Sustainable
Development (IISD), Switzerland
David Philp, EMIA BIM Director, AECOM, USA
Spiro Pollalis, Professor of Design, Technology and
Management, Harvard Design School, USA
Bob Prieto, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Strategic
Program Management, USA
Michael Ramage, Director, Centre for Natural Material
Innovation, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Craig Ross, Partner, Head of Project and Building
Consultancy, Cavendish Maxwell, United Arab Emirates
Claudia Schachenmann, Director, Bureaux Schachenmann,
Switzerland
Sam Spata, Owner, Principal, Method Lean, USA
Marc Tkach, Director, Infrastructure, Millennium
ChallengeCorporation (MCC), USA
Jennifer Whyte, Laing O'Rourke/Royal Academy of
Engineering Professor of Systems Integration, Imperial
College London, United Kingdom

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